2023 Convention Round Up

The Livestock Markets Association of Canada held their 42nd Annual Meeting and Convention at Olds, Alberta, from May 11-14, 2023. Over 200 of Canada’s top auction market operators, livestock buyers, and auctioneers from B.C. to Quebec attended the event, which included the Canadian Livestock Auctioneering Championships. The competition drew 35 auctioneers.

On Thursday, the event opened with a meet and greet, hosted by MNP. At the event, the auctioneer’s draw was completed and MNP did a presentation on the costs of keeping a herd of cows.

Friday was competition day. Master of Ceremonies for the day was Danny Skeels.

The 2023 LMAC Judging team included 2022 Champion Brad Martens; 2006 LMAC Champion Dean Edge from Rimby; Canadian All Around Champion, Don Raffan, from Armstrong, BC; livestock buyer Shannon Eaton from Lloydminster; Beef Farmers of Ontario President Jack Chaffe from Mitchell, Ontario; and Mike Millar from the Canadian Cattlemen’s Magazine. The interview judges included Bryan Danard from the Calgary Stock Yards; Cindy Ferraro from Brussels Livestock, Brussels, Ontario; and Ken Lidberg from Perlich Bros. in Lethbridge, Alberta. Official scorekeepers were Tammy Munroe from the Killarney Auction Mart in Manitoba and Craig Jacklin, operations manager for the VJV Livestock Marketing Group based in Ponoka.

Each of the auctioneers sold nine drafts of cattle and one black box item in the first round. The top 10 returned for round two. The live auction counted for 80% of the first round with the personal interview accounting for the other 20%.

The following auctioneers were selected to compete in the second round: Rob Bergevin, Foothills Auctioneers Inc. Stavely, Alberta; Jesse Lawes, Provost Livestock Exchange, Provost Alberta; Tyler Slawinski, Gladstone Auction Mart, Gladstone Manitoba; Frederick Bodnarus, Northern Livestock Sales, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan; Justin Perlich, Perlich Bros., Lethbridge, Alberta; John Baier, Saskatoon Livestock, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; Casey Lawes, Provost Livestock Exchange, Provost, Alberta; Rhett Parks, Whitewood Livestock Sales, Whitewood, Saskatchewan; Tyler Rosehill and Patrick Cassidy, both from the Olds Auction Mart in Olds rounded out the Top 10. The results of the competition were not announced until the Saturday awards night banquet.

Friday evening was capped off with a “70 years in the auction business” celebration for the Olds Auction Mart and Rosehill Auctions at the Cow Palace in Olds.

Saturday morning was the annual LMAC business meeting. Lyndsay Smith from Prime Analytics gave a market outlook for 2023, sponsored by Gateway Livestock Marketing. A panel comprised of Rob Bergevin (auction market operator), Greg Appleyard from Agra-Risk (cattle buyer), Ian Marshall, Bowden, Alberta (feedlot operator), Scott Anderson (Anderson Bred Heifers), and Danny Skeels (cow-calf operator) discussed their preferences on the different auction platforms, regular sales, pre-sort, show list, or video auctions. They also discussed whether they felt the auction market business in its current form would be sustainable in the future.

The discussion was very good and drew questions and comments from the LMAC membership. The outcome from the discussion was that the panel members favoured the regular and show list sales over the video and co-mingled sales. They felt that the wide variance of weight and quality in the pre-sorts, along with additional health issues made the pre-sort sales the least favourable to buy at. They felt that the video sale consignments often had too wide of weight spreads in consignments, especially the wet nosed calves in the fall. The panelists all agreed that the markets needed to be able to load the cattle faster on sale days, especially with the “hours of service” regulations imposed on the trucking industry. The entire panel agreed that there is a need for the auction markets, and they saw the auctions playing an important part of the livestock marketing industry in the future.

At the business meeting, issues including traceability, ELDs on livestock trucks, and transfer of care documents were all discussed. LMAC is working with the Canadian Cattle Association and other industry partners on these and other issues.

At the meeting, Brent Brooks from Northern Livestock Sales and Mark Ferraro from Brussels Livestock were re-elected as directors-at-large to the LMAC board of directors. Casey Lawes from Provost Livestock Exchange was also elected as a director-at-large. Rick Wright was reappointed as the CEO of LMAC.

LMAC members welcomed representatives from Réseau Encans in Quebec as new members of LMAC. The Maciocia family has purchased the markets at Saint Isidore, Saint Hyacinthe and Danville, Quebec, and has joined LMAC as full members.

Saturday afternoon, members toured the “Smart Farm” at the Olds College. The awards banquet was held Saturday evening. At the event, Danny Rosehill of the Olds Auction Market was inducted into the LMAC Hall of Fame. Rob Bergevin from Stavely was recognized for his dedication to LMAC and the Canadian cattle marketing industry and was named the LMAC Industry Champion. Bergevin became one of only four people in 20 years to win LMAC’s highest award. He joins Steve Primrose, Danny Skeels and Brian Good in this elite group.

Murray Morrison (Cookstown Market, Ontario), Ron Northcott (livestock buyer, Regina), James (Jimmy O) Oldershaw (livestock buyer, Winnipeg), Brian Good (LMAC Industry Champion), and Bruce Whyte (B.C. Co-op Kamloops, B.C.) were inducted into the LMAC Memorial Honour Roll.

A benefit auction was held to raise funds for the Brian Good Scholarship Fund, which will be administrated by the Canadian Angus Association. A scholarship will be made available to the son/daughter of a commercial Angus producer to further his/her education. The auction and donations raised $14,000.00. Lynanne Good was in attendance, along with Bob Switzer and Bob Toner from the Canadian Angus Association.

The results of the Canadian Livestock Auctioneering Championships were announced.

2023 Champion – Jesse Lawes – Provost Livestock Exchange, winner of the Canadian Angus Association Buckle, the Canadian Simmental Association Bronze statue, the Championship Ring provided by Foothills Auctioneers Inc., $1000 cash from LMAC, and the use of an EBY stock trailer for one year courtesy of T-Down Trailer Sales (Ross Annett) and EBY.

Reserve Champion was Tyler Rosehill from the Olds Auction Mart, winner of the Canadian Hereford Association Buckle.

1st Runner Up was Tyler Slawinski from the Gladstone Auction Market in Manitoba. He received the Canadian Limousin Association buckle.

2nd Runner Up was Casey Lawes from the Provost Livestock Exchange in Alberta. He was awarded the Canadian Shorthorn Association Buckle.

3rd Runner Up was Patrick Cassidy from the Olds Auction Mart and was presented the Canadian Charolais Association Buckle.

High Point Interview Buckle sponsored by the Thorsby Stockyards Inc. was awarded to Allan Munroe from the Killarney Auction Mart.

John Baier from Saskatoon Livestock was awarded the Boehringer Ingelheim buckle as Top Rookie for 2023.

Cody MacLean from the Calgary Stockyards won the Jack Auction Group buckle for the Most Improved Auctioneer in 2023.

The Whitewood Livestock Sales Most Congenial Auctioneer award for sportsmanship and good will was awarded to Patrick Cassidy from the Olds Auction Mart.

The Canadian Angus Association named Northern Livestock Sales from Saskatchewan (the Brooks family) Stockyards of the Year.

It was announced that the 2024 Convention would be held at the Ontario Livestock Exchange in Waterloo, Ontario, May 23 to 26.

LMAC wishes to thank the Rosehill family, Patrick Cassidy and the Olds Auction Mart staff for all of their work in making the 2023 event a huge success. LMAC would also like to recognize and thank all of the sponsors and cattle consignors; without your support an event of this size would not be possible.